Feast for FEAST and help children learn what’s good for them

ASHEVILLE, N.C. (8.21.13) – Feast for a good cause at the Grove Arcade on Sept. 12, 2013 by attending Feasting for FEAST, a fundraiser sponsored by Asheville Scene, the arts and culinary guide published by The Asheville Citizen-Times.

More than a dozen area restaurants will provide tasty samples and Oskar Blues will donate the beer.  “This event provides an excellent opportunity to try a lot of Asheville’s top restaurants in one place,” FEAST Director Kate Justen said. “It’s always a great party.”

Confirmed restaurants include Chorizo, MG Road, Everyday Gourmet, Farmers Daughter Catering, All Souls Pizza, Mayfel’s, Earth Fare, Laughing Seed Cafe, Sunny Point Cafe, The Junction, The Cantina, Ambrozia Bar and Bistro, French Broad Chocolate Lounge, and True Confections. The FEAST Board of Directors will also be preparing bites while Slow Food Asheville will provide non alcoholic refreshments. Doubletree Catering will prepare tastings for the VIP area.  The Scene VIP Lounge, hosted by Private Mountain Communities, will also have craft brew from Burial Beer Co., a mixology contest and more.

This is the third Annual Feasting for FEAST event. “Each year the restaurants get a bit competitive,” Justen said. “All of them create delicious food, but there will be at least one restaurant that will blow people’s socks off…. and nobody knows who that will be.”

All restaurants at Feasting for FEAST will serve food in keeping with the FEAST philosophy (Fresh Easy Affordable Sustainable Tasty). FEAST uses locally grown fruits and vegetables to teach healthy eating to children and young adults in hands-on group cooking experiences.

Begun in 2009, FEAST is a local program which serves some 800 Asheville and Buncombe County students a year, showing them how to incorporate fresh produce into their meals. This school year, FEAST will expand to five elementary schools, five middle schools and four non-school locations. FEAST instructors augment students’ learning experiences in the classroom by incorporating math, science, health, art, cultural awareness and other studies into the lessons they teach.

“The goal of this fundraising event is to raise money to provide classes to more students in our area.” Justen said.

Tickets are $25 advance ($35 day of event). VIP tickets are also available for $75. Feasting for FEAST will be 6-9 p.m. at the Grove Arcade (One Page Avenue), a downtown Asheville architectural beauty filled with shops, restaurants and more.

Presenting sponsor is The Asheville Scene. Other sponsors include Jacks Boxes, Goldenwood Financial, Merrill Lynch Investments, Curate, Early Girl Eatery, West End Bakery and Café, Hotel Indigo, Lizarralde Insurance Agency and io design.  FEAST is a program of Slow Food Asheville, a 501c3.

For more information about FEAST (www.feastasheville.com), contact director Kate Justen at 828-242-5919 or feast.avl@gmail.com.